Search form

TRENDING:

FEATURED:

Ari Fleischer: Trump should ban ‘bump stocks’

The former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush on Thursday called on President Trump to ban bump stocks, a push that has gained traction following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“If I were Trump I would direct ATF 2classify bump stocks as part of a weapon and ban them today. He should also welcome legislation 2do same,” Ari Fleischer wrote on Twitter.

“If I were a Democrat, I wouldn't amend a bump stock ban with broader gun control efforts. Join together and get something done. Please.”

If I were Trump I would direct ATF 2classify bump stocks as part of a weapon and ban them today. He should also welcome legislation 2do same

Stephen Paddock, the suspected gunman in the Sunday night shooting, reportedly had two bump stocks, devices that can be used to increase the rate of gunfire.

ADVERTISEMENT

In 2010, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) declared that a bump stock is considered a part and therefore need not be regulated as a weapon.

The declaration came after Slide Fire Solutions, a company based in Texas, asked the bureau’s Firearms Technology Branch to assess its bump stock device. The company posted the letter it received from the ATF, which found that the part does not enable any automatic functions.

“The stock has no automatically functioning mechanical parts or springs and performs no automatic mechanical functions when installed. In order to use the installed device, the shooter must apply constant forward pressure with the non-shooting hands and constant rearward pressure with the shooting hand,” John R. Spencer, the Firearms Technology Branch’s chief, wrote in the letter.

“Accordingly, we find that the ‘bump-stock’ is a firearm part and is not regulated as a firearm under Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act,” he wrote.